No politicians but plenty of action on May ballot

There are 11 propositions on the May 6 ballot, involving everything from firefighter pensions to city property leases.

But two in particular – a climate charter and a proposition to lower the petition ballot threshold – are facing scrutiny about how they could impact the city.

“This is a very nuanced issue,” said Andrea Hutchins, CEO of the El Paso Chamber. “We want to make sure voters and businesses understand the overall price.”

Last week, the El Paso Chamber released its findings from its El Paso Climate Charter Economic Impact Assessment.

The study was in response to the placing of Proposition K on the ballot, and it foresees massive economic losses in the region if the measure passes.

According to the report, while 628 solar panel maintenance and installation jobs and three city administrative jobs could be created with the climate charter, it would lead to a loss of 170,000 jobs by 2030 and a drop of nearly $8 billion in earnings.

Proposition K calls for the city to use “all available resources and authority” to “reduce the city’s contribution to climate change, invest in an environmentally sustainable future and advance the cause of climate justice.”

The ballot language, at just over 450 words, does not include a price tag for any tenets of the proposed climate charter but has a hefty list of goals:

• Hire a climate director that reports directly to City Council

• Create a climate department

• Create a nine-person climate commission, with members appointed by City Council

• Create an annual goal for new climate jobs and a policy to “transfer current city employees to climate work and provide a preference for contractors who are able to advance the city’s climate policy”

• Create a “solar power generation plan” for the city, along with policies to encourage rooftop solar power generation and “require both new buildings and retrofitted buildings to include solar power generation capacity”

• “Require the employment of all available methods” to get the city to 80% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% by 2045

• “Require the employment of all available methods” to convert El Paso Electric ownership from private to municipal

• Prepare infrastructure for extreme weather and “ensure uninterrupted provision of basic services and utilities to city residents”

• Ban the use, selling or transferring of city water for “fossil fuel industry activities,” outside of city limits, including El Paso Electric

• Prohibit the city from imposing fines, fees or other “financial or nonfinancial burdens” that would limit the purchase, use or generation of renewable energy

The El Paso Chamber report says the climate charter’s economic impact could include a 38.3% reduction in jobs in the county by 2030.

The report also explores the proposed municipal purchase of El Paso Electric. The region’s energy utility is owned by J.P. Morgan’s Infrastructure Investments Fund, which purchased El Paso Electric in 2020 for about $4.3 billion.

The chamber report estimates a sale price in 2030 could be upwards of $9 billion, which would be paid for with taxpayer dollars if the climate charter is approved.

“There is also the issue of whether or not EPE could actually be purchased given IIF’s commitment to keeping EPE in its portfolio for at least 10 years, which makes the purchase of the utility by the city more unlikely to happen,” the report states.

The report, produced by Idaho-based Points Consulting, is nearly 60 pages and includes methodology and context for the tenets of the proposed climate charter it studied.

In November, El Paso voters narrowly approved $5 million for the creation of a city climate and sustainability office, which is tasked with creating a climate action plan. Nicole Alderete-Ferrini was named to lead the new office.

“For the most part, I think it’s really confusing for people,” Hutchins said. “(The climate charter) has a hefty price tag. People are not understanding that there are a lot of things that go into going from where we are to a completely renewable-based energy economy.

“There’s a lot of investment that needs to be made not only by businesses but by households.”

Proposition K was placed on the ballot after Sunrise El Paso, an environmental group, got a petition with over 30,000 signatures to the city clerk. The ballot item asks for voters to approve the creation of article IX in the city charter.

Sunrise El Paso did not respond to a request for comment last week.

The proposition and petition are also supported by Ground Game Texas, an organization that advocates for progressive causes in various Texas cities, including a justice charter in San Antonio, eliminating low-level marijuana offenses in Denton and banning no-knock warrants in Austin.

City Council approved putting propositions A through J on the ballot after a review and recommendations from the ad hoc charter committee in early 2022.

Proposition F would amend the process and lower the number of petition signatures needed to get items on the ballot to 7,500 or at least 5% of voters that voted in the last general election, “whichever number is smaller.”

Steve Ortega, an attorney and former City Council member, said Proposition F would usher in “California-style” governance to El Paso, where various measures are constantly on the ballot.

“Lowering the threshold for the signature initiative, to the lowest in the state, robs the citizenry of the deliberate process and legal review,” Ortega said.

El Pasoans will vote for each proposition on May 6.

The city clerk’s website has more information about each proposition: ElPasoTexas.gov/city-clerk

Email El Paso Inc. reporter Sara Sanchez at sesanchez@elpasoinc.com or call 915-534-4422.